Acacia Breeze @ Yishun is the last of our reviews for this November
batch of BTOs. This BTO close to Seletar Reservoir has a total of 834
units in 3- to 5-room Standard flats. There are eight 13-storey blocks
in this project in the south-eastern part of Yishun estate. Let's find
out more about this BTO named after a tree.

LocationAcacia
Breeze is the first project in this largely undeveloped plot of land
north of Orchid Country Club and Seletar Reservoir. Those hoping for
views of the water can dream on thanks to the site reserved for
future high-rise development just east of this BTO.

Location-wise
Acacia Breeze is not the best. There isn't any MRT or shopping mall
within walking distance at all. Even the neighbourhood centre is not
even close by.

Though at the ulu-end of Yishun, Acacia Breeze is
still Yishun and will enjoy the benefits of living in an established
estate. Plenty of schools around, Safra Club is here and Northpoint mall
is a few bus stops away.

This area is full of greenery.
Apparently there are a lot of Acacia trees around hence the name Acacia
Breeze. We wonder how many of those trees will be left standing once
this whole part of Yishun gets developed. (Maybe the name will change to
Concrete Breeze?). Those who love nature will appreciate the scenic
Lower Seletar Reservoir as well as Yishun Pond up north.

Folks who
drive should note that the new North-South Expressway will have an exit
ramp to the west, somewhere along Sembawang Road, so by 2020 your
traveling time to the CBD will be significantly shorter.

Don't
fret about being so far from key amenities though, there is a
supermarket mini-mart, an eating house and some shops planned for this BTO.

PricesWah!
Really cheap this place. Not surprising given its less than ideal
location. The cheapest 4-room is going for $234,000. Compared with the
Punggol BTO it is $23,000 less or 10% less. Prices at Punggol are slowly
creeping up, even though it is much younger compared to Yishun. It must be the My Waterway @ Punggol factor, the Govt has sunk
millions into turning Punggol into Venice, how else can it get its money
back?

That said, this Yishun BTO is still a teeny bit costlier than
BTOs in Sengkang. October's Fernvale Rivergrove BTO saw its cheapest
4-room flat going for $225,000, a difference of $9,000.

Site LayoutThe
land area for Acacia Breeze is pretty large but the blocks are tightly
packed in two clusters that are separated by the MSCP housing the shops,
supermarket minimart and eating house.

To the north, east and west is land
for high-rise residential, so forget about long unobstructed views in
blocks facing those directions.

The only place where your views
will be unblocked will be high floor units facing the planned school and
church to the south-west of the BTO.

Zooming inBlue = 5rm, yellow = 4rm, pink = 3rm.

Best 5-room unitsWe like the
north-south facing units right in front of the MSCP. Units 02 and 20 are
the best here thanks to the buffer provided by the car park, they have
almost 100m of unblocked views. Very good privacy here indeed. What's
more the shops and carpark are just downstairs too.

You can also try units 58, 76, 78 and 94 too. 78 and 94 will get a bit of morning sun though.

If
those are taken, you can consider the church- and school-facing units
along the southern edge of Acacia Breeze. Get as high floor units as you
possibly can. Do note there will be some noon sun for these units as well as some noise from the upcoming school.

Best 4-room unitsOh
dear. If you're looking for 4-room units and you have to live in
Yishun, it is not your lucky day. 90% of these units are face-to-face
with the opposite block as you can see from the site plan. It looks like
only 25m separate you from your neighbour. Ugh. Avoid those as much as
possible. What is HDB thinking?

Those that face outwards will eventually end up looking at the HDB blocks across the streets. But they have
about 50m to 60m buffer. Not too bad but you do have to contend with the
noise and dust from the roads.

If Lady Luck is smiling on
your ballot number, then you should go for unit 80 facing the MSCP. The
best unblocked views belong to this unit. We don't need to tell you that
it is near the eating house and shops right? Number is also auspicious
- get eighth floor: #08-80. Let us know when you book that unit. We will
buy 4D.

Some things to note though. You get some morning sun. And
low floor units are really close to the Bin Centre. There could be some
noise and air pollution coming from the coffeeshop below. So get as HIGH
floor as possible.

If morning sun is not your thing and your
fengshui master tells you to get north-south orientation, then unit 60
facing the playground is your next best choice. You get about 40-50m
distance to the opposite unit and you will not have the noise and dust
of the roads.

If the above two aren't suitable, you can consider
unit 110 facing the school. High floor units there will have great
privacy and should be least affected by the noise coming from the school
in the day.

Best 3-room unitsThere are only two worth looking at - 16 and 18. Excellent unblocked views and close to the main amenities in the MSCP.

Should I go for this?If
you have to live in Yishun and you can't wait, then bo pian, you have no choice.

For those who can wait, we suspect there could be plots further west towards Khatib MRT that
could one day be developed into BTOs. When that will be we have no idea.
This is pure speculation on our part yah. Don't anyhow point finger and scold us if that doesn't come true.

That's
the end of our coverage of November BTO. Good luck folks! Wishing you
all the best! Do join us on our Facebook page to discuss with
like-minded house hunters, be it condo or BTO!